


The Liar Shield and the Blind Prince

by Bexii



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Based on The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince, Behemoth!Gladio, Blind Ignis Scientia, Fluff, Holding Hands, Human!Gladio, Ignis was adopted by Regis, M/M, Prince Ignis Scientia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:20:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26253301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bexii/pseuds/Bexii
Summary: AU based upon the game The Liar Princess and the Blind PrinceIgnis goes to the land of ruin every night to listen to beautiful singing. Unbeknown to him, the voice belongs to a monstrous behemoth named Gladio. The two form a close bond but when Ignis wishes to finally see Gladio, he is faced with a creature that brutally blinds him.Determined to right everything, Gladio makes a deal with the Mad Forest Witch to turn him human so he may protect Ignis, but it comes at at cost.Join Gladio and Ignis as they embark on a small quest to restore the blind prince's eyesight.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 5
Kudos: 28





	The Liar Shield and the Blind Prince

**Author's Note:**

> Silly little idea based on the game The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince. It's a wonderful little game that I highly recommend.

**The Liar Shield and the Blind Prince**

**Prologue**

_This is a tiny tale of a love in a faraway land._

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom surrounded by an impenetrable wall of light, erected by kings and queens of old to ward off the Darkness and protect the people that refused to succumb to its malicious touch. The Darkness was a curse – a disease that corrupted and defiled anything it laid its deathly touch upon. The world outside of the protective barrier of light was that of complete and utter ruin. The once rich soils were now a barren wasteland, filled with monstrous creatures that walked the land and feasted on those humans who dared to leave to protective light.

Nothing human could survive the Darkness for long. No human was brave, or stupid, enough to venture into it, which was why Gladiolus found it odd when he caught the earthly scent of a human, not once, but multiple times. That distinct odour would tickle his nostrils and cause his mouth to salivate at the very thought of stalking his prey and using his sharp claws and teeth to rip apart their flesh and crunch their bones.

Why would a human descend into the Darkness when they were aware that monsters like Gladiolus would feast upon their flesh? It made little sense to him. Perhaps it was a trick? Humans were known for their cunning ways, and it was known well across the Darkness that humans would happily strip a monster of its flesh, drain its blood and use their bones and skin for their selfish purposes.

With that in mind, Gladiolus decided to ignore the human. He did not wish to know what a human could make use for his teeth, tusks, bones and pelt.

Being a behemoth of his size and calibre certainly had its advantages when it came to living in the Darkness, and his victory over challenging Deadeye to a fight to the death had earned him the title “The King of Beasts” across the land.

He paid the human not further heed. Instead, he would sit proudly atop a cliff and sing songs that travelled with the winds, hoping his words would reach his sister on the other side of the wastelands. However, unbeknownst to him, he had an unlikely admirer of his songs.

The sound of a clapping noise, followed by a rich accented voice, called out to him. “You have a beautiful voice,” it said. “I hope you do not mind that I sat and listened?”

It was that same human scent that had tickled his senses. That silly human was sitting, listening to him sing? What a truly foolish human indeed.

“Would you allow for me to hear you sing again tomorrow?” the human asked.

 _What a foolish human indeed_ , he thought. Asking permission of a monster, the King of Beasts of all monsters, that would happily feast upon his flesh – a request to listen to him sing?

“Sure, if you like,” he replied in a rich, baritone voice.

“I very much look forward to it,” the human replied once again. “Until tomorrow, then?”

Gladiolus crept towards the edge of the cliff, watching the human walking away. He did not even spare a glance behind him to see if there was anything following —foolish human.

The following day, Gladiolus sat upon his cliff and sung his song once again. And, as was the day before, the human returned to listen to him sing, following with applause and words of encouragement. And, as with the previous day, the human requested permission to return to hear the beast singing.

And so, this continued. After a time, Gladiolus grew accustomed to having a human audience. It felt nice to have another listen to his songs, songs that he was not sure if his sister could even hear herself. So, knowing that they were gracing at least one set of ears was enough to bring joy to his heart. He became fond of the human and would grow fraught with worry if his human was late for his nightly singing performance. It also brought him much joy at knowing this human was not afraid of listening to a behemoth sing. There were not many creatures in the land that did not fear him, and to think that a mere human, of all creatures, did not fear him filled him with warmth.

“Oh, how rude of me,” the human shouted up to him. Gladiolus crept closer to the edge, his ears pricking up so he could hear his human. “I’ve been asking for permission to hear you sing without so much as even requesting your name? Please, if I may be so bold as to ask for your name?”

Gladiolus lay down, resting his head on his fuzzy paws, ever watchful amber eyes staring intently at the human sitting on a rock at the foot of the cliff. Nobody has ever asked for his name before. Nobody has ever cared enough to ask for it.

“My name is Gladiolus,” he told the human. “I prefer to be called Gladio though.”

Gladio watched the human close his eyes behind the circles of glass perched on his nose. His could see him smiling and slowly moving his lips, as if speaking with no words.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Gladio,” the human replied, his voice a pitch higher than usual. “My name is Ignis.”

“Ignis...” Gladio said, enjoying the way the name sounded coming from his mouth. His human had a name - a perfect name. “Ignis,” he repeated.

Ignis laughed. It was a sound Gladio had never heard before. He crept closer to the edge to observe Ignis better and saw the way he would rub his hands together, even though he had hand coverings for warmth and protection. It made sense that humans would be susceptible to the icy winds that blew during the night, as the only fur covering their bodies was on their heads. Humans just weren’t built to withstand the elements the same way monsters were, even if they were able to wear substitute fur coverings.

“Are you cold?” Gladio asked. It was nights like these that he was thankful for his thick fur, something that not every behemoth was born with. Not only did his fur protect from the elements, but acted as an additional form of protection from untoward attacks, which were relatively frequent when living in a land where monsters fight for survival.

“It is a little chilly tonight,” Ignis said, putting his hands deep in the recesses of his fur covering. Perhaps, Gladio thought, he could use his fur to warm Ignis the way he would with his younger sister? “How are you able to withstand the cold, night after night, Gladio? It’s most difficult for us humans to live comfortably in this Darkness, yet somehow you thrive, and I hardly see any monsters in this particular area. I’d be interested in hearing any tips, as I’d hate to be unable to visit once the seasons change.”

Ignis doesn’t know he is a monster and worse - thinks he is a human? That was not good. Ignis would most definitely become afraid and stop visiting if he learned the truth – that Gladio was nothing more than a monster that feasted on human flesh. With that in mind, it would make logical sense to leave, move to another part of the lands, a place where Ignis would not be able to find him. It would become a very lonely place without Ignis, but he could not risk his human finding out the truth.

However, try as he might, the behemoth could not bear the thought of saying goodbye to Ignis. Monsters were naturally selfish creatures and deceptive by nature. So, he let Ignis believe he was human. Every night Ignis would visit to listen to him sing, Gladio would lie to his human. Soon, it became easy to lie to the human. With each lie he fed Ignis, more pieces of Ignis’s life he received. He found out that Ignis was the adopted son to the King, who sealed the city behind the light. He recalled asking Ignis how he was able to venture into the wastelands without a bodyguard of sorts to protect him from the monsters. Ignis laughed, saying that because he was a prince by adoption, he was not assigned a Shield like his younger brother, Noctis. It gave him the freedom to walk freely around the city and even sneak out into the Darkness without drawing any attention to himself, however, if he were missing for more extended periods, then his brother would notice immediately.

When asked about his own life, Gladio spoke truthfully about his sister and how she was living on the other side of the wastelands. He even told Ignis that his songs were initially intended for Iris to listen to at night. Instead, they found the ears of another human. Ignis had thanked Iris for allowing him to share the songs meant solely for her.

Soon, the inevitable question arrived – _why are you living in the lands of ruin, Gladio_?

Why indeed? Gladio could not tell Ignis the truth. No. Instead, he told Ignis a story of how he was once a Shield to a prince in a distant land. His folly caused the prince’s untimely demise, and thus he was cast out of the city and forced to live the rest of his life in the barren lands.

“A shield without a prince?” Ignis said.

“And a prince without a shield?” Gladio replied.

“We are quite a pair indeed,” Ignis laughed that harmonious sound that Gladio loved to hear.

Soon the seasons did change, and Ignis would return night after night, offering praise and friendship to Gladio.

Like any other night, Gladio sang his songs for Ignis, knowing the human was sitting on his usual rock at the base of the cliff. Deep in song, Gladio failed to notice that Ignis was oddly quiet this night. Usually, the human was quick to offer words of praise, telling his own stories or even share his own failed attempts at a song – though, to Gladio, they sounded more beautiful than anything he could sing! So, not hearing Ignis’s voice, he moved closer to the cliff edge and peered down. His eyes widened, and his heart pounded quickly as he saw Ignis climbing up the cliff.

 _No, why is he coming up the cliff_ , Gladio thought, panic overtaking all of his senses. Ignis would soon learn the terrible truth! _No, I cannot let that happen!_ Before Ignis could pull himself over the cliff, Gladio extended his paw in hopes of covering Ignis’s eyes and blocking his vision of the creature waiting at the top of the cliff.

Instead, his claws accidentally tore at the human’s eyes!

Ignis cried out, the pain in his eyes causing him to loosen his grip on the cliff edge and fall. Many thoughts were circulating in his head, but one frightening thought was that of Gladio. Had the monster that attacked him snuck up on Gladio while he was singing. Where was he? Was he ok? He prayed to the Astrals that Gladio had managed to flee before the beast tore him limb from limb.

Ignis panicked when he felt a massive paw and sharp claws wrap around his arm, pulling him closer. He could feel the hot breath of the beast as it pressed its snout to his shoulder and dig its teeth into the thick fibres of his coat. The human wriggled and threw up his other hand, hoping he could hit the beast and cause it to loosen its grip on him.

Gladio fought as hard as he could to safely pull Ignis up the cliff, even resorting to using his teeth. However, the human was moving too much - his flailing arms causing his grip to slip. Ignis’s hand caught the corner of Gladio’s eyes, thus making the beast flinch and loosen his grip altogether.

He watched in fear as Ignis plummeted down the cliff. It was by some miracle that the human landed on some bushes, the thick leaves breaking his fall and taking the impact of the force. Just as he was about the descend the cliff and go to Ignis’s side, he heard a voice yell out Ignis’s name. The next thing he saw was a flash of blinding blue light and a human rushing towards him with fury in his eyes and sword in his hand. The human was quick, continually disappearing and reappearing with flashes of blue, attacking Gladio with an array of weapons. The beast fought back and went to charge at the human when he disappeared once again. Gladio stopped and frantically looked around. The human was nowhere! Where was he? His ears pricked at the sudden noise to his right and Gladio turned around, only to feel thick steel slicing his face and across his eyes. How appropriate that he took Ignis’s eyes and now another was to take his.

“Noct, we need to get Ignis back to Insomnia. Now!” a new voice shouted out.

The human, Noct, immediately stopped and stared at Gladio. “The next time I see you, beast, I will kill you!” he snarled, before vanishing in a shower of blue, leaving Gladio alone on the top of the cliff.

He fled, but not before taking one last look down the cliff to see a young blond man helping the dark-haired human carry Ignis back to the city and away from him.


End file.
